This was a post I needed to do in honour of my friends, colleagues, and the black community as a whole. In light of current events, there is no denying that there has been a lot of attention to members of the black community and more people are finally being educated and having the meaningful conversations to address the unjust and hardships they face. I found myself being more educated as well. Although there is progress, there is a lot of work to be done to combat racism.
Something I’ve seen on social media is people making the efforts to share or willing to support black-owned businesses and/or creatives. That’s great, but it is important that your support is sincere and not because it is trendy or you feel some guilt. I saw on LinkedIn one post from a white advertising exec saying that he is willing to do 15-minute chats with aspiring black individuals trying to make it into the industry to offer his advice. Once again, that’s great but I was thinking to myself that he should’ve already been doing this before any of this occurred. I felt that you should support these businesses because they are awesome and you wish you knew about them before! It felt reassuring to watch this awesome video by superstar tech YouTuber Marques Brownlee mention the same thing which is why I felt it was important to do this post to share a few businesses (links to their Instagram will be included so you can easily follow) I know that relates to the content I share on CHIP Lifestyle which you would want to support and know more about!
1. Don Cheffing
I have to start the list with one of my homies who I am proud of. We talked about food and culture at work, but it was amazing to see him follow his passion and get the recognition he deserves. He makes incredible meals that demonstrates his culinary talent and creativity. Although I have asked, unfortunately, he hasn’t launched any vegetarian or vegan meals. However, based on my friends and others on social media who’ve had his meals, if you eat meat you definitely don’t want to miss out on his next release. Don’t believe me? Check out Jae and Trey Richards of 4YE showing support!
2. Mya Eve Designs
Another person I am proud of and proud to have as a friend is the incredible designer behind Mya Eve Designs. She is known for her stunning dresses, masks, and apparel. She definitely shuts down the office with her jaw-dropping outfits and amazing personality. She was actually our first official guest on Podcast In The Pod! Of course, business may not be as usual yet, but her work is worth taking a look at.
3. Exclucity
There has always been a lot of content related to sneakers on the blog and channel, therefore it is only right I share a popular sneaker boutique and brand that really cares about supporting black culture and minorities. The story behind Exclucity is incredible, the founder Trent, started selling tees from the back of his car to now being one of Canada’s biggest sneaker retailers. I remember just randomly having a conversation with him through Instagram about mental health and the grind of doing your own thing. The conversation was great and I remember him wanting to support CHIP Lifestyle and the blog by following. He recently launched his own label of tees, Trent Out Loud, within Exclucity which you can check out below.
4. Beddo Art
I met Beddo at Fan Expo Canada a few years ago, and I even did a video and post highlighting some of the stuff I got the event, including the dope shirt I got from him. I had a great conversation with him, and really wanted to set up an interview with him and hopefully, we can set that up once everything gets better. Nonetheless, the reason why I am including him on this list is that he makes impeccable artwork fusing hip hop and comics through his prints and shirts. You may have seen his work before, and he’s been at other conventions as well, with so many people left in awe with his art. It was awesome to see his pop up at Footaction Toronto.
5. Live it, Wear It
Last but not least, I needed to include this OG I met through the phenomenal organization RISE. Mark is so skilled when it comes to marketing and graphic design that HE really made me take a step back and evaluate how to really execute and learn to improve my creative efforts. He doesn’t realize it, but his words do motivate me. At RISE and other events, he sells his apparel and was recently featured for Nuit Blanche. I remember one of the items that resonated with me the most were the John Carlos(known for his legendary protest in the 1968 Olympics) items. I’ve never seen work that looks so great with great messages and details incorporated, so take a look at his page below and browse through an impressive catalog.
I hope you enjoyed this post and can support these brands above because if you didn’t realize it already, BLACK LIVES MATTER. There are more black businesses you can support but I just wanted to share these because I can personally vouch for it and the interests you may have with CHIP Lifestyle may also be found through their work.
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